When Marshall Becker arrives in Lamorlaye, France, to begin the
massive renovation of a Renaissance-era castle, he unearths a dark World
War II history few in the village remember. The project that was meant
to provide an escape for Becker instead becomes a gripping glimpse into
the human drama that unfolded during the Nazi occupation and seems to
live on in midnight disturbances and acts of vandalism.
Populated with a cast of complex characters, “Tangled Ashes” follows
Becker’s exploration of the castle’s shadowy past as he seeks to cope
with an unbearable present. From the virtually mute recluse who lives
in the gatehouse to the feisty and enigmatic nanny of the owner’s
children, every one of the château’s inhabitants seems to have something
to hide and something to survive—but none more so than Becker himself.